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A Texas law dating back to at least 1905 prevents school board members from receiving pay. Back then, the Dallas school district was much smaller — several thousand kids compared to about 160,000 today. And trustees didn’t play as big a role as the city council controlled finances for the school system.

Read more on this issue in today’s Dallas Morning News and online at dallasnews.com. So what do you think? Should Dallas school board members be paid? Take the poll below.

Dallas ISD recently released survey information indicating that nearly 70 percent of employees look forward to coming to work, with even more saying they work in a respectful and supportive environment. More than 10,800 employees participated in the survey, which was conducted internally. (DISD has about 18,500 employees).

Considering that morale appears pretty low in the district — with even Superintendent Mike Miles making note of it — these results came as a surprise with a bit of disbelief by some employees and community members. Since the survey results were made public this week, I’ve heard from folks who question whether they can be believed.

Apparently, staffers had to use their employee ID numbers to take the survey, possibly dissuading some with concerns from participating, lest their identity be revealed in a district known for retaliation. Or folks simply might not have been as honest with their feelings, is what I’m hearing.

On top of the survey method, there’s a belief that the district will go to extremes to spin a positive message. Case in point: The distribution of power words and phrases to principals for use on parents to relay a `positive’ message. And then there’s the requirement that principals have teachers submit positive comments on changes in the district.

I’d like to hear from you. Do you trust DISD’s climate survey results? (Also, feel free to leave comments and I will run them and the results in a later blog post. No sign-in needed).

An anonymous Dallas ISD teacher who is organizing a “sickout” voiced frustration to WFAA (Channel 8) and on his blog at what he perceives as a lack of support by teachers.

The teacher, known as “Mr. Jones,” wants his colleagues to call in sick on Wednesday (Leap Day) to protest a decision by DISD trustees to extend the teacher workday by 45 minutes with no increase in pay.

He said in a post on his blog, Teachers for Change, that he is disappointed at how many teachers “are giving in to the fear” and not participating in the sickout. He also said that some have recommended a “staggered” sickout.

He also criticized the board in a blog post for not responding publicly to concerns that teachers have with the extension. He goes on to say that since the board does not wish to ask questions, he will provide answers to questions that should have been asked in the beginning.

He provides answers to such questions as: “What have we done to upset you.” “But why call on a sickout.” “Where do we go from here.”

DISD has released no official position concerning the planned sickout. Teachers are not allowed to participate in strikes or organized work stoppages under state law.

The contention surrounding the workday extension was escalated after DISD teacher Joseph Drake was placed on paid leave after criticizing the board’s decision in an e-mail to trustee Edwin Flores. Drake has since been reinstated.

State representative Helen Giddings has introduced a bill that would prohibit kids 11 years old or younger from receiving Class C misdemeanor citations. State law allows such citations to be given for various reasons, including classroom disruptions, hazing and possessing alcohol on school property.

“I am concerned that too many children are being exposed to the legal system at such a young age,” Giddings, D-Dallas, said in a press release. “Criminalizing these children for small infractions is not sending the right message. We expect schools to serve as a launch pad for success, not a pipeline to prison.”

Giddings’ office said fines for the citations can range from $60 to $500.

All three Dallas ISD board seats are uncontested for the May 14 election — a first in recent years, at least in the last decade. School board president Adam Medrano and trustee Carla Ranger will be returning to the board. Businessman Mike Morath, also uncontested, will join the board in May to replace outgoing trustee Jack Lowe.

Some observers are floating various reasons for the lack of interest in the races, including that: the community is fed up with the district after years of turmoil and has given up; pressing budget issues have overshadowed the May election; or community members are satisfied with the current school board.

Please take the poll below and also weigh-in in the comment section, especially if you don’t think any of the listed reasons contributed to the poor showing of candidates.

Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa will receive his annual evaluation following a 10 a.m. board retreat on Thursday. The retreat is open to the public, but the evaluation will be in closed session. Any decisions that the board makes as a result of the evaluation will have to be voted on in open session.

I don’t expect the board to make any big decisions on Hinojosa’s contract, such as providing a pay raise or giving an extension. As you recall, Hinojosa’s contract was extended in September for three years, until 2015, in reaction to him being a finalist to run schools in the Las Vegas area.

Take our poll below on what kind of grade you think Hinojosa deserves for his performance this past year. Also, feel free to leave a comment.

A majority of participants answered “no” to our poll on whether high-level DISD administrators should be allowed to live outside the district’s boundaries.

On Thursday, the Dallas school board will consider a policy change that would allow administrators at the executive-director level and above to live outside the district. The recommendation would still require the superintendent to live within the district’s boundaries. However, it would allow trustees to adjust the superintendent’s contract to permit otherwise.

Trustees are split on the issue. And from what I sense, this decision will be made on a split vote, possibly 5-4.

As of 2:40 p.m. today, 443 votes had been cast in the Dallas ISD blog poll. Of those, 56 percent voted against making a change to allow high-level administrators to live outside DISD.

Texas school districts set their own residency policies and can choose not to have any.

In Fort Worth ISD, certain high-level employees must live inside the district. Many other districts have no such requirements, including Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Arlington and Plano.

Update: It’s looking more like the proposed change will not pass, most likely a 5-4 vote against the change.

Board president Adam Medrano hasn’t changed his stance from 2007 on believing high-level administrators should live in the district. “I think they should live here,” he said. “There’s talent in the city of Dallas.”

Next week, DISD trustees will consider a policy change that would allow high-level administrators to live outside the district. The recommendation, which is scheduled for vote on Oct. 28, would still require the superintendent to live within the district’s boundaries. However, it would allow trustees to adjust the superintendent’s contract to permit otherwise.

The school board seems split on the proposed recommendation. Also, some trustees are adamant that a superintendent should never be permitted to reside outside the district’s boundaries.

I’d like to hear your thoughts. Overall, should high-level DISD administrators (executive directors and above — excluding the superintendent) be allowed to live outside district boundaries? Take the poll below and voice your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you haven’t already, check out today’s newspaper story that we ran on Superintendent Michael Hinojosa reaching his fifth anniversary in DISD (on May 12) and all the ups and downs during his tenure. We’d also like for you to grade Hinojosa’s performance in the poll below and provide constructive comments on why you gave him the grade that you did.